Improvement in revolving battery-guns



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD- J. GATLING, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING BATTERY-GUNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,836, dated November4, 1862.

To all whom it may concern Be it knownthat I, RICHARD J. GATLING, ofIndianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented newand useful Improvements in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun with the upper portionofthe wheels cut away. Fig. 2 is a 4vertical longitudinal sectionthrough the center ofthe gun. Fig. 3 is a top view of the gun with thetop half of the external casin g, A, left otf and the middle portion ofthe barrels cut away to shorten the drawing. Fig. 4 is a transversesection through lock-cylinder on line a: y in Figs.1 and 2. Fig.5is anend view of the groovcd carrier G which receives the cartridges orcartridge-chambers. Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the tubes containingthe mainspring and hammer of one of the locks.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the ring P which surrounds the forwardend of the lockcylinder D, having inclined planes on its rear edge forcooking and. drawing back the ham- .mers to their proper position.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple, compact, durable,and edicient tirearm for war purposes, to be used either in attack ordefence, one that is light when compared with ordinary field-artillery,thatis easily transported, that may be rapidly fired, and that can beoperated by few men.

The invention consists in a singularly-cou structed revolving lockcylinder or breech, in combinationV with a grooved carrier and bar relsall rigidly fixed upon the same shaft, and all of which revolve togetherwhen the gun is in operation, the locks and grooves in the carrier andthe barrels all being parallel with the axis of revolution.

The Ainvention also consists in the novel means employed in cocking andtiring the gun without the use of a trigger by means of the inclinedplane on the rear edge of the ring P, which surrounds the forward end ofthe lockcylinder, and also in the novel use of the inner tubes (whichcontain the locks) to pressthe cartridge-chambers firmly against therear ends of thebarrels while being discharged, and

in the outer casing and disk, which protects the locks from injury. l

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct my gun usually with six ordinary riiie-barrels, E, fixed attheir rear and forward ends into circular plates F and G, which arerigidly secured to a shaft, N, upon which is also rigidly fixed thegrooved carrier C and lock-cylinder D and cog-wheel K. A case or shield,A, covers and protects the lockcylinder and cog-wheel. parts are mountedon a frame, B, and are supported by an ordinary gun-carriage.Thelockcylinder D is perforated longitudinally with six holes,(corresponding to the number of barrels,) as shown in Fig. 4, and hasslots cut through from the surface of the cylinder to the holes to admitthe projecting portion of the hammers b. In the perforations or holes inthe lock-cylinder the locks (one of which is shown inlelevation in Fig.6) are placed.

The locks are constructed of the tubes a a, &c., having a hangedbreech-pin, c, secured in their rear ends and provided with hammers band mainsprings d, all formed and arranged as clearly shown in sectionin Fig. 2;

C is a grooved carrier for conveying the cartridge-chambers from thereservoir or hopper H up to the position in which they are tired, andthence on around until they fall out by their own Weight; but that thecartridgechambers may be removed with certainty from the grooved carrierC a comb or rake is provided and attached to the frame, as shown by thered lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

P, Figs. 2, 8, and 7, is a ring encircling the forward end of thelock-cylinder D, and is rigidly secured by lugs to the frame B. The rearedge of this ring is formed into two inclined planes, as clearly shownin Fig. 3, the greater inclined plane serving to push back or cock thehammers b as they are successively revolved, while the lesser inclinedplane serves to push the hammers back into their proper places withinthe tubesaafter they have struck the percussion-cap, so as to allow thecartridgechambers to drop from the carrier.

All of these several The disk 1 forms a division in the case A, theforward portion of the case forminga 'shield or covering for the locks,while the rear tion ofthe tubes a, caused by the swell O on disk I, alsoassists in compressing the mainsprings d, thereby increasing the forceof the blow from the lock-hammers b upon the percussion-caps on thenipples of the cartridgechambers.

The rounded heads of the breech-pin c bear against the forward face ofthe disk I, being kept in their position by the coiled springs ee, Src.,which surround the rear ends of the tubes a a, &c., the springs @bearingagainstthe rear end of the lock-cylinder and against the flange of thebreech-pin c. By this arrangement the forward ends of the locks are keptush with the forward face of the lock-cylinder untilthey arerevolvedopposite the swell o, when they are pressed forward, as beforedescribed.

'lhe shaft N, upon which the lock-cylinder D, carrier C, barrels E, andcog-wheel K are rigidly secured, has a bearing near its rear end in diskI and a bearing at its forward end in a box on the frame B. Acrank-shaft, M, runs through the rear part of ease A and has vfixed uponit the small cog-wheel or pinion L and crank S.

An adjusting-screw, T, is placed in the box' opposite the forward end ofshaft N, for regulating the pressure upon the cartridge-chambers R. Thecartridge-chambers R, (any de sired number of which may 'be used,) beingloaded, are placed in the hopper or reservoir, with their nipple or capends toward the hammers, over the grooved carriers O, when, by rotatingthe crank S, which carries with itthe shaft M, and pinion L, whichmeshes into the Vlarge cog-wheel K, thereby revolving the-shaft N,lock-cylinder D, carrier C, and barrels E, the cartridges drop or ratherroll into the grooves of carrier C and are carried by it up to theposition iu which they are discharged.

large inclined plane on the rear edge of the ring I, and when they havepassed the highest point of the inclined plane they are driven forwardagainst the percussion-cap on the nipple of the cartridgechamber by thecoiled mainspring c with sulliciont force to explode the cap anddischarge the cartridge, after which the cartridge-holder is carried onaround until it ,drops out ot' the carrier by its own weight, when it isready to be taken up and reloaded.

I do not claim the use of the grooved or tinted revolving carrier C,separately considered, and when the same is made to revolve separatelyand ilulcpcndently of the barrels and breech, the same heilig an olddevice; neither do I claim the direct combination thereof with anautomatic revolving gear or with a device for pressing thecartridge-chamber against the barrel when used alone for that purpose;but

What I do claim as new and as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination of the lock-cylinder or breech D with the groovedcarrier C, circular plate F, and barrels E E, &c., the lock-cylinder orbreech, carrier, and circular plate being firmly fastened upon the mainshaft N, and the locks, grooves in the carrier, and barrels beingarranged on a line parallel with the axis of revolution, the wholerevolving together when the gun is in operation, substantially asdescribed.

2. In theconstruction of revolvingre-arms, the use of as many locks asthere are barrels, said locks revolving simultaneously with the breechand barrels, and being arranged and operated substantially as set forth.

3. The stationary ring P, provided with inclined planes on its rearedge, in combination with lock-cylinder I) and locks, when coustructedand operated for the purposes substantially as set forth.

' 4. The tubes a a, &c., furnished with the flanged breech-pins c c,&c., and springs e e, &c., and which contain the lock-hammers b b, &c.,and mainsprings d d, 81o., in combination with the revolving breech D,disk I, and swell o, when constructed, arranged, and operated for thepurposes substantially as set forth.

5. The disk I, in combination with the ex-

